Wednesday, 1 May 2013

REVIEW: Dark Light (Dark Light #1) by S.L. Jennings

Before
her 20th birthday, Gabriella was pretty much clueless about all three.
In love with her best guy friend since the age of 14 and too crass and
intimidating for most of the male population of Colorado Springs, love
and good sex were virtually a myth.

And then there’s magic.
Freakin’ magic. There’s no way that legend could have a place in her
less than exciting life. So why after twenty years of utter obscurity do
her adopted parents hit her with the ton of bricks that is her true
identity? And how the heck is she supposed to accept all this and become
what she was truly created to be?

Lucky for Gabs, sexy as sin
Dorian is more than equipped to help her embrace these new revelations.
And while everything about him feels oh so good, she soon learns that
there’s more behind his crystal blue eyes, chiseled body and exotic
beauty. Something dark, menacing and downright unnatural. Yet Gabs is in
way too deep to even try to turn away from him now.

Dark Light,
Book 1 of the Dark Light Series, is the raw, emotional story of a young
woman’s journey of self-discovery in a world that was not meant for her.
And her scorching hot, lip-biting addiction for the man she can’t deny,
no matter the cost.
*Contains strong adult content.

Read on for my full review...

--- Review ---

They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover right? Well, I have to admit on this occasion I did and I'm very glad. The beautiful design is what made me look at this book when I was browsing through amazon one day. Then I read the blurb and it got me even more interested. I read some reviews then bought this and the second in the series The Dark Prince together for a great price.

Fifty Shades of Paranormal Grey? Yes there were times that this reminded me of the popular trilogy and Dorian definitely had a little CG vibe going on but even more mysterious and possibly even hotter!

I gather my bearings, totally baffled at what just
went down. I barely know this guy yet I'm imagining having sex with him?
And not just any sex at that. I'm talking lip-biting, toe-curling,
back-scratching, no holds bard sex. I'm no virgin, but the thought of
intimacy with Dorian not only excites me, but scares me. Scares me
because I wan't him so damn badly.

This was a great read. It initially took me a little while to get used to the writing style--first person, present tense is usually not my thing--but once I did I began to feel comfortable. Gabriella is a young woman who I think many, like myself, will relate to. I liked her from the off. Her strong personality and independence was a welcome change from some of the more needy woa-is-me types that you often find in romance stories. Early on in the story she finds out some astonishing information about who she really is and instead of feeling sorry for herself she chooses to deal with it her own way, by herself in an attempt to protect her family and friends.

"It's Just...I never wanted to be some dainty damsel in distress. I never wanted to be rescued. I've never been that girl."

During her journey of self discovery she meets Dorian...hmm yes, sexy, smouldering Dorian. Well, what can I say about this gorgeous alpha male other than the fact that he's mysteriously hot, dark, flirtatiously seductive... shall I go on? I found myself falling under his spell as well as Gabriella and all though he was dominant in ways, he was also quite tender. And even though and I found myself wondering if he could be trusted, and still do, I think i've found myself a new hero to get all giddy about.

The story itself was a little slow paced and even though it is paranormal romance there wasn't a lot of anything paranormal, in fact I would say it was more like contempory romance with a little bit of magic for the most part. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of the magic element instead of just being told it existed but I'm hoping for a lot more in the next book. There wasn't much in the way of action in this either. It seemed to focus more on the relationship between the two main characters which certainly wasn't a bad thing. I really got to know the characters and the chemistry between Gabriella and Dorian was really great. There was quite a bit more sex than I was expecting (which was HOT!) but I'm not complaining at all. I loved the fact that their developing romance was the focus of the book and almost wanted to skip the parts where Dorian wasn't in it because I missed him so much!

Dorian is looking out through the glass doors again. Into the darkness.
The music has changed and I recognize it as the band he introduced me to
that evening in his car. I downloaded their album soon after he played
it for me. I take a deep breath and walk up behind him, wrapping my
arms around the front of his waist. It's a risky move, something I would
never do. But it feels so good, holding him. Dorian pulls me tighter
around him, obviously appreciative of the contact. I exhale in relief.

I really think that S.L. Jennings has done a great job with the character building in this book and has started the series off nicely. The plot moved on slowly but surely. We still have a lot of questions, mainly about Dorian and even more so after the cliffhanger we were left with at the end of it. (I gasped!) Now I'm expecting really good things from The Dark Prince and I'm certainly going to jump straight into the second installment. Thank god I bought them both!